Barbara B. Ide Lifetime Achievement Award: Lisa Rock

In every community there are those people whose passion and courage make them stand out from the crowd. Barbara B. Ide was one of those people. Her commitment to preserving St. Joseph’s historic architecture prompted her to do things that would not have been expected from a nice respectable doctor’s wife. 

This year we are pleased to award the first Barbara B. Ide Lifetime Achievement Award to Lisa Rock. Lisa is a wonderful embodiment of the commitment and willingness to stand up to authority that characterized Barbara.  Lisa is a life-long St. Joseph resident who came to have an appreciation for the history of the city and its architecture from listening to the stories of Mary Hillex. For decades Lisa has been the leading historic properties realtor in the city and she served the Landmark Commission for ten years (four on the Appeals Board, and six on the Commission), never missing a meeting. Like Barbara, Lisa puts her money where her mouth is; she is the owner and preserver of several historic properties.

Ted Hauser Civic Engagement Award: Lauren Manning & Nic Hutchinson

 Before his death in late 2019, Ted Hauser was a common sight in the halls and offices at City Hall. His presence was welcome not only because of his kind demeanor and lively stories, but because of his wisdom and experience. Ted brought to his adopted city a deep understanding of municipal government and a belief in its power to do good.

The first Ted Hauser Civic Engagement Award is given this year to two people who used their positions with the City of St. Joseph to promote the cause of preservation, Lauren Manning and Nic Hutchison.  During her tenure in the Preservation Planner’s Office at the City of St. Joseph, Lauren initiated a draft Preservation Plan, revised Design Guidelines for our designated districts, led the Oregon Trails project, and so much more.  Lauren is now a Preservation Planner for the City of Kansas City, Missouri.

In his role as City Planner for the City of St. Joseph, Nic worked hard to promote the cause of preservation in the community. He brought a strategic approach to the pressing issues facing our historic assets. He has since taken the position of Executive Director for the MoKan Regional Council where he continues his good work for the community.

Everywhere you look: Sharon Kosek

There are some people whose enthusiasm and willingness to volunteer their time has a profound impact on their community. Sharon Kosek is that person for St. Joseph. Sharon is a member on numerous boards and organizations, including Mount Mora Cemetery, Friends of the Symphony, Old Town North Neighborhood, Lovers Lane Neighborhood, and more.  Sharon volunteers at all sorts of events, and is always a voice of reason and dedication. She is a grand example of what can be accomplished by one dedicated individual.

Revitalization of a District:  Downtown First

For those who have been around St. Joseph for a while, it seems that every decade or so there is an attempt to revitalize downtown. Some efforts were horribly misguided – Urban Renewal springs to mind; others were well-intentioned but ultimately missed the mark, such as the pedestrian mall on Felix. What they all had in common was that after an initial period of enthusiasm they faded away.

In the last few years, Downtown feels different. The creativity, enthusiasm, and dedication that the members of Downtown First bring to the effort gives real hope for lasting benefit.  Before the onset of the pandemic, Downtown First sponsored wonderful events such as First Saturdays and holiday decorations. It was lovely to see crowds of people walking down the streets again. In this era of COVID, the business owners of Downtown First have emerged as community leaders in the effort to implement policies to protect the health of the community.

Arts and Preservation: Kathy Liao

Preservation works best when it is a partnership, and reaching out to people with talents and passions outside of the usual fields often yields wonderful results. Kathy Liao, former assistant professor of art at Missouri Western State University, is a great example of what a fresh perspective can bring. In partnership with the ownership group of the Livestock Exchange Building at 601 Illinois, Kathy had her students create art inspired by and installed at the distressed building. 

The art gave the structure a lovely pop of color and showed that people were thinking about the building. The project also brought the building to the attention of many people who were not aware of it and prompted others to see it through new eyes.

Saving the Story: Trevor Tutt and the Lloyd Warner Memorial Coalition

 It is the stories that give a community its identity and some of those stories are difficult to hear.  In 1933, a young African-American man, Lloyd Warner, was accused of attacking a white woman.  A mob numbering in the many hundreds gathered outside of the jail and demanded that he be handed over for vigilante justice.  After some resistance, the Sheriff did hand the young man over and he was brutally lynched.  And then for many in the community, he was quickly forgotten.

In this era of Black Lives Matter, the stories of St. Joseph’s African-American community need to be told.  The lynching of Lloyd Warner is one of those stories.  Trevor Tutt, former Collections Curator at the St. Joseph Museums, Inc., created the Lloyd Warner Memorial Coalition to work with the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama to create a memorial to this tragic event and to ensure that it will not be forgotten.

Bravery: Royal Packaging

Some projects make you step back, take a deep breath, and say  thank you.  The restoration of the Turner Frazier Mercantile building at 302 S. 3rd Street is one of those. On October 21, 2016 a devastating fire broke out in the historic Mitchelhill Seed Co. which was the neighbor of the Turner Frazier. The fire completely destroyed the Mitchelhill building and did significant damage to 302 S. 3rd Street as well.  For a long time, there were real fears the building was beyond repair and it would be lost. Then Royal Packaging took a brave step and purchased the building and began its rehabilitation.

Thanks to Dan Moser and Rebecca Thacker, this stunning building has a promising future. Under their skillful and fearless care the wonderful features that make it such a striking gateway to the city are coming to light once again. A project of this scope and importance is not for the fainthearted; thankfully Royal Packing has the courage to embrace the challenge.

Whistleblower: Marcena Carter

It’s not easy to see something that is just simply wrong and to denounce that wrong at the top of your voice, especially when people in power are determined to make you stay quiet. Marcena Carter woke up one day and looked out her window of the historic Vineyard Mansion at what had been a lovely view of the lawns surrounding the Wyeth Tootle Mansion (owned by the City of St. Joseph and operated as a museum by St. Joseph Museums, Inc.). What she saw enraged her – large, unsightly utility boxes were being installed. It soon emerged that the St. Joseph Museums had not applied for approval for the project from the Landmark Commission as they were required to do because the Mansion is in a local historic district. Marcena rallied supporters to try to hold the Museum and City to account for this violation of regulations. She was not successful, the unsightly boxes remain, but her willingness to take a very public stand against them made the powers that be uncomfortable and illustrated the importance of the Landmark Commission and its role in protecting the integrity of the historic district.

Whistleblower: Janet Sourk

Janet Sourk is a property owner in Museum Hill and she noticed that a fence was being erected at one of the historic houses that was in violation of Design Guidelines and had not received Landmark Commission approval. City staff and others attempted to sweep the matter under the carpet, but Janet would not be silenced. Her willingness to loudly and repeatedly bring the matter to the attention of authorities ultimately resulted in the removal of much of the fence and eventually the sale of the property to owners who are more sympathetic to preservation issues. This battle underscores the importance of letting the Landmark Commission do its job of protecting the streetscape in our designated historic districts.

Reinventing an Old Favorite: Voices of the Past – Marina Trifan

Some events are like old friends, something that you count on and look forward to; Voices of the Past, Mount Mora Cemetery’s fall fundraising is one of those events. It has been a perennial favorite attracting large crowds to visit the cemetery and to hear stories of its residents from their own mouths. But after a few years, we all need a bit of a facelift.

In 2019, Suzanne Lehr, creator of Voices of the Past, turned the reins of the event over to Marina Trifan.  Marina brought to the event a youthful enthusiasm and a willingness to look at it from a new perspective. The result was an event that was recognizably  Voices  but also had a different feel and flair.  We all look forward to this ‘old favorite’ with a new twist in years to come.

In Memoriam – Ted Hauser

What does it take to make a difference in the world?  Knowledge. Passion. Curiosity. Tenacity.

St. Joseph was very lucky to have had a man who embodied all of that – Ted Hauser. Ted was not a native, but he loved this city and he worked hard and with great humor to make it a better place. He brought to all of his endeavors a vast store of knowledge and experience garnered from his years in city government. That knowledge was colored by a passion to make his community a better place. 

Ted’s interests were wide ranging, preservation was just one. He was a stormchaser, a baseball enthusiast, and a talented gardener. All of this combined to create a man who was a joy to be around.

When Ted died in late 2019, he left a real void; preservation in St. Joseph lost a powerful advocate.  Ted is missed and will always be fondly remembered. 

The Historic St. Joseph Foundation is a partnership of stakeholders in Saint Joseph committed to protecting and improving the historic assets of our community.